The Conversation

The science everyone needs to know about climate change, in 6 charts

Written by Betsy Weatherhead, Senior Scientist, University of Colorado Boulder

Scientific instruments in space today can monitor hurricane strength, sea level rise, ice sheet loss and much more.Christina Koch/NASA

With the United Nations’ climate conference in Scotland turning a spotlight on climate change policies and the impact of global warming, it’s useful to understand what the science shows.

I’m an atmos...

Gun rights at the Supreme Court: justices will consider if the fundamental right to keep a gun at home applies to carrying weapons in public

Written by Morgan Marietta, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Dozens of people attended an open carry rally led by Joey Gibson, leader of the Patriot Prayer group, on May 20, 2018, in Seattle. Karen Ducey/Getty Images

The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Nov. 3, 2021, on a clear question: Does the constitutional right to possess a gun extend outside the home? The answer may alter gun regulations in...

COVID-19 threatens the already shaky status of arts education in schools

Written by Ryan D. Shaw, Assistant Professor of Music Education, Michigan State University

As more normalcy returns to schools, will arts education programs rebound?Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

Parents can watch their kids draw and paint at home or perform in school music concerts and dance recitals. But they may not know how their school arts program compares with others around the country.

As a music...

A small telescope past Saturn could solve some mysteries of the universe better than giant telescopes near Earth

Written by Michael Zemcov, Associate Professor of Physics, Rochester Institute of Technology

A telescope in the outer solar system would be able to do unique science that is impossible closer to the Sun.Michael Zemcov, CC BY-ND

Dozens of space-based telescopes operate near Earth and provide incredible images of the universe. But imagine a telescope far away in the outer solar system, 10 or even 100 times farther from the Sun than Earth....

You know how to identify phishing emails – a cybersecurity researcher explains how to trust your instincts to foil the attacks

Written by Rick Wash, Associate Professor of Information Science and Cybersecurity, Michigan State University

If your gut says something is off about an email message, stop and investigate.Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/DigitalVision via Getty Images

An employee at MacEwan University got an email in 2017 from someone claiming to be a construction contractor asking to change the account number where almost $12 million in payments were sent. A week later the actual...

Cliches may grate like nails on a chalkboard, but one person's cliche is another's sliced bread

Written by Kirk Hazen, Professor of Linguistics, West Virginia University

When overrused phrases reach the point of aggravation, they become cliches.yongyuan/iStock/Getty Images Plus

If some words are shovel-ready for a conversation, but using them could lead to accusations that you’re not giving 110%, then should you stick a pin in them? Or perhaps you could read the room better and send thoughts and prayers to...

When and how was walking invented?

Written by Jan Simek, Professor of Anthropology, University of Tennessee

Three upright walkers, including Lucy (center) and two specimens of *Australopithecus sediba*, a human ancestor from South Africa dating back nearly 2 million years.Image compiled by Peter Schmid and courtesy of Lee R. Berger/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an...

What the 'spiritual but not religious' have in common with radical Protestants of 500 years ago

Written by Christopher Schelin, Assistant Professor of Practical and Political Theologies, Starr King School for the Ministry

The Reformation's leading figures had diverse views, and some might have recognized themselves in "spiritual but not religious" people today.Rijksmuseum

For over a decade, one of the biggest stories in American religion has been the rise of the “Nones”, a broad term for people who do not identify with a specific faith. The religiously...

How AI is hijacking art history

Written by Sonja Drimmer, Associate Professor of Medieval Art, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Art historians have long used traditional X-rays, X-ray fluorescence or infrared imaging to better understand artists' techniques.Metropolitan Museum of Art/Wikimedia Commons

People tend to rejoice in the disclosure of a secret.

Or, at the very least, media outlets have come to realize that news of “mysteries solved” and “hidden...

How to meet America’s climate goals: 5 policies for Biden’s next climate bill

Written by Kelly Sims Gallagher, Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy and Director, Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at The Fletcher School, Tufts University

President Joe Biden wanted to have a clear plan before the U.N. climate conference starting Oct. 31 in Scotland.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

President Joe Biden’s new climate strategy, announced after his original plan crumbled under opposition in Congress, will represent a historic investment in clean energy technology and infrastructure...